Replacement
by babykakashi
Summary: They were all just replacements...but they were never enough... Sakura based. Short fics all clumped into one that features different pairings. [NejiSaku][NaruSaku][KakaSaku][GaaSaku][ItaSaku][SasuSaku] For a better understanding, it's at top of page.
1. The Caged

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto….happy? Jeeezz

**A/N: **Well, this idea popped in my head last night, (last night as in December 22, 2004, 1:13 AM…) and I just had to write it…It's something new for me...This fic isn't exactly continuous…every chapter is a different scenario, but..they DO follow chronologic order…I'll state her age at the beginning of every chapter or something, just so that everyone understands…

This is basically a fic where I match Sakura with possible guyz in Naruto…I don't do those crazy pairings where it would seem quite awkward…but, here are the pairings, in order of the chapters…:

1) NejiSaku (14 yrs)  
2)NaruSaku (Friendship) (15 yrs)  
3) Kakasaku (15 yrs)  
4) GaaSaku (16 yrs)  
5) ItaSaku (18 yrs)  
6) SasuSaku (18 yrs)  
7) SasuSaku (final) (19 yrs)  
8) Epilogue – SasuSaku, of course...

Okay, enough with this crap…let's get on with the story!

**Replacement**

**Chapter one-The Caged**

_-You're weak-_

Those words echoed through Sakura's head over and over again, as if haunting her. The pink haired kunoichi did another push up, sweat dripping down the side of her head.

She lowered herself with her left arm for the 196th time, determined to get to 200. Slowly, she pushed herself back up. Once again, she lowered herself, this time with much difficulty. She couldn't bare the stress in her left arm anymore, and collapsed. She pounded at the dirt, frustrated at herself, not being able to do 200 measly one-handed push-up's.

_I can't do ANYTHING! Why! Why must I be forever weak to everyone's eyes! Why…?_

She sobbed painfully as she squeezed the dirt in her hands, as if trying to make them finer.

_Why is everyone so talented, and moving on with their lives, while I'm left behind…alone, in their dust! Am I that much of a reject!_

Rain began to pour from the dark clouds, hovering on top of the Konoha Forest. Those dark, ominous clouds were what drew him to the area.

In his eyes, everyone was failures. Failures who keep striving to become better than each other. Failures…

"WHYY?" a cry reached his ears as if they came from the trees around him. His eyes furrowed as he tried to trace the sounds. _It's a girl…_

Her tears blended with the rain that came down on her. Her once beautiful pink hair was now dull and colourless.

_Did I do something wrong! Why must I be punished! He's right…I **am** weak…_

"No, you're not…" a voice came from above.

She snapped her head up, and tried to see who it was. The pouring rain blurred her sight, paining her eyes as she tried to open them wider. A white light surrounded the person who stood, looking down on her. _God?_ Then all she could see was black.

o-o-o-o-o-o—o-o-o-o-o-o-

Her body ached in pain as she awoke to the sound of birds chirping. Through her eyelids, she could feel the burn of the bright sun. She tried to block the light with her hand but couldn't move it; it had hurt too much. So for a while she just lay there, trying to recall where she could be. Her mind was clogged up and she couldn't think at all. She shifted her arm slowly, as much as she could and tried to rub her temples. All she managed to do was make sounds on some sheets on a mattress. _Wait, mattress!_

Determined, Sakura opened her eyes slowly, feeling blinded, but a few moments later, adjusted to the light.

_Ughh, I feel terrible. Did I drink last night? _

"Aa, I see that you're awake" a voice came from her right. She turned her head to see who it was. He was in the shadows, for he was under the window. All she could see was white eyes. _White eyes…Who could THAT be? A monster?_

"Rest, it'll make you feel better. I left some pain killers on your side table. Take them if you want. I'll be going now" the man said as he strode over to the door.

"Noo…wait…stay…I don't want to be left behind…again…"

"…Okay…" the man sat down on the left side of her bed. This time, Sakura could see him clearly.

"Neji-san?"

He didn't say anything, just reached out to run his hand through Sakura's hair. "You hair used to be vivid and bright. What happened?"

"…I…There was no reason to keep it bright anymore" she said as she looked away.

"…Then what was the reason before?" he asked gently, as he continued to play with her hair.

"…It's not important"

Neji scoffed and replied, "Not important? If he isn't important, then why do you mope around, hoping he'll come back for you? If he's not important, then why were you punishing yourself yesterday? Huh? Answer me, Sakura!"

"I…" tears began to form in her eyes. She didn't want to answer, she wanted to run away, so she wouldn't have to think about it anymore.

"Sakura…There's no use to saunter around depressed. If he's so important to you, why don't you go after him?" Neji had stopped playing with her hair, now looking down at the floor.

"Neji-san, don't stop…I…Just stay with me for a while…"

"Okay…I'll stay…"

o-o-o-o-o-o—o-o-o-o-o-o-

Okay…well…there you go…Not my best work, but I sort of wanted everyone to know that I was still alive…:P I know, It's kind of short...actually, it's really short...but…anywho, I'm working on Come Back Chapter 2, and Medicine…but…Medicine hasn't even been started yet…So….please be patient…if you want to know what's been happening, go to my profile page…At the top, it'll explain...sort of…anywho…see yaz!


	2. Swirling Protection

Well, hi once again everyone! Thanks for your awesome reviews...I think I'm going to start doing that whole review response thing…but…at the bottom of the fic so that for those of you who think it's a complete waste of time won't have to bother scrolling through it….(not that I'll get any reviews…:( )

You people are awesome…your reviews just totally make my day…:D well…on with the story! This next one is Narusaku…STRICTLY and ONLY friendship…because they're so cute together as friends!

Remember, check the first chapter if you want to know what age Sakura is in each chapter.

**Replacement**

**Chapter Two-Swirling Protection**

Oh god… The pink haired kunoichi thought as she saw about 20 ninjas surround her. About 5 of them attacked her at the same time; all she could do was dodge their attacks. She had already lost a lot of chakra before and now…

* * *

A well-known blonde shinobi strolled in the market, searching for his favourite food; ramen. He was just about to reach for one when a voice yelled, "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! EMERGENCY PATIENT COMING THROUGH!" 

Naruto whipped his head around, curious of what was happening. He caught the familiar shirt worn by 2 people from the Konoha Hospital, carrying a stretcher. On the stretcher was a blur of pink and black. Guess someone fell over or something…hahaha, Naruto laughed at his own joke, turning back to the package of ramen.

Wait…wait a minute… He snapped his head right around again, this time looking at the face of the injured on the stretcher. Sakura! He quickly turned and ran towards the hurrying Med nins.

"Is that Haruno Sakura!" he asked urgently, hoping it was just some other girl who looked A LOT like his teammate.

"Yes"

"What happened?"

"She was attacked by a crowd of Sound nins while on a mission" the med nin said flatly.

Oh my god…

* * *

After two weeks of being monitored in the hospital, Sakura was able to go home. Although she got to go home, she still needed to go to the hospital for daily checkups and wasn't allowed to move around much, or go outside to do anything except walk. 

Because of these restrictions, Naruto became her personal assistant. He would shop for her, bring the groceries up to her apartment, and cook for her.

"Thanks, Naruto…" Sakura said, once again, for the billionth time that day.

"Sakura…You don't have to thank me for every little thing I do…" he brushed away her gratitude, and blushed slightly.

"Mmm…" she sighed as she watched Naruto cooking her ramen in her pink apron.

"Well, after you eat this, you can go and read or watch tv. Then you have to go to bed. But not before you brush your teeth" he said as he stirred the simmering ramen, the aroma floating into his nose.

Sakura burst out laughing, almost falling off her chair.

Naruto whipped his head around and asked stupidly, "What? What's so funny?"

"You!"

"Me? How?" he cocked his head, confusion filled his face.

"You're acting like your mom or something…It's quite amusing, seeing as how you can't even take care of yourself…"

"Hmm…good point…But, you're my best friend…If I don't care for you, who will?"

"Uhmm…maybe Hinata-chan?"

"Aa…true…And you have Ino…But, Hinata-chan's busy with training…and Ino's getting all snugly with Shikamaru. They don't have time for you…"

At this point, Sakura got offended. "They don't have _time_ for me! What's that supposed to mean!"

"Nothing, nothing…I didn't mean that…Just calm down…don't get so worked up about it…you're still weak from the mission…"

* * *

Sakura took a bit of the noodles, brought it near her mouth, and blew on it, watching the steam rise from her chopsticks and the bowl. 

"You know Naruto, I don't really want to eat ramen for the rest of my healing period…"

"Hai, hai…I asked Hinata-chan if she could come over once in a while to cook you something delicious already. She's an amazing cook, you know…" the blonde ninja had a dazed look on his face.

"Well, Naruto…I think she's perfect for you. She's the only one that will listen to you brag about everything, find your jokes funny, and a good enough cook to satisfy your never ending hunger," Sakura laughed as she took the noodles in her mouth.

"S-Sakura-chan…What do you mean?" he had started to blush.

"Oh, Naruto…I know all about you and Hinata already, and it's ok…Actually, I was the one who told her to take some initiative before I left for that mission."

"Oh…I see…well then, I guess…I should take her out sometime then."

"mmhmm"

The two continued their casual chat and ate until they couldn't take another bite. Naruto once again put on the pink apron and washed the dishes as Sakura watched some TV.

"So…" Naruto began.

"Hmm?" Sakura's eyes still glued to the screen.

"I know it's been 3 years…but, do you still think about him?" Naruto asked.

"About who?" Sakura tried to sound as if she didn't know who the blonde-haired was talking about.

"…you know, Sasuke…"

Sakura tore her eyes off the TV screen and turned to look at Naruto.

"…Yeah, I still do I guess…I mean, I can't exactly forget about him. He was part of my life…but, I'm not in love with him anymore…" Sakura admitted. _Or at least, I don't **think** I'm in love with him anymore…_

"Oh…I see…Well then, it's time for you to go to bed, Sakura-chan!" with that, Naruto stood up, and slid his arms underneath Sakura. He lifted her up and carried her to her room. Setting her down on her soft bed, Naruto pulled the covers up to her chin and stroked her rosette hair.

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan. I'll be back sometime in the morning to make you breakfast. If I'm not here by 10, then you should go re-heat something to eat. But, don't go outside, ok? I promise I'll be back before lunch for sure, then take you to the hospital for your daily checkup," Naruto said as he turned to leave.

"Naruto," Sakura said as she pulled his arm, "thanks. And…You really do understand me…" And with that, she closed her eyes and drifted off to a deep sleep.

_…I understand her? What did she mean by that?_ The 15 year old boy exited the room, picked up his belongings and headed out the door. It was only then when he realized what Sakura had been talking about.

* * *

**MeDasLastima64: **I'm sorri, but…I don't really like shikasaku…I don't HATE it, but….i don't think I like it enough to write it….it's cool though, cuz they're both so smart…but, Shika rightfully belongs with ino….i mean…sakura gets all these guyz…it's ONLY fair that Ino gets Shika…:D 

**LightDreamer: **Well, you SHOULD have been doing your homework instead of procrastinating…o well…:D I'm glad u liked it…this idea jus all of a sudden POPPED into my head…:D anywho…see ya tmr…? Lolz…this was written a long time ago…so, now the situation has been changed…I should be doing my hw instead of updating…while you should be reading that book of yours…7 habits or what not…have fun..XD

**Jazzy Uchiha: **I'm so glad that one of my old readers is back! I'm so glad to see you! Anywho, well, I updated:D…

**Aitashiaku-kawaiiSasuSakuAi:** Yes, of COURSE it'll end up as SasuSaku…they are the PERFECT couple…all the other people are, as I've said, REPLACEMENTS…but of course…no one can replace Sasuke, right, **LIGHT**?

**Springninja: **thanks! Well, you might have to wait a while for that epilogue…Gomen!

**Shujouteki Kumo: **Yay! Haven't heard from u…well…probably cuz I haven't updated…I'll DEFINITELY be updating this story…It's so cute

**ChErRyBlOsSoMs-FlOwErOfDeAtH: **Well, I thought it would confuse people if I didn't explain the pairings. These are basically little moments that I thought of…but, the ultimate guy for Sakura is, of course, Sasuke!

**Kyoku-chan: **I'm glad you liked it…I'll try to update more often…I REALLY like this fic…It's short…hardly needs a storyline…my kinda style..P

**ang3l-blue: **thanks…err…I like her too? XD…I guess I don't hate sakura like some people…I mean, I wrote this fic, didn't I…and it's ALL ABOUT sakura..XD

and thank you to all the other people who took the time to review. I REALLY appreciate it, because it really gives me the motivation to write…I know this took a longg time to get out, but I finally did it. The ending's not as good as I had hoped it would be, but I will wanted to get this out tonight, just to let everyone know I'm not dead yet. So, thank you to **demon lulu, epuneyujah, DudettRin101, and XxaoshixX**


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